Kyle SAFE... but radio duo AXED!

Good news came through today with Kyle Sandilands dodging a bullet and keeping his radio job on 2Day FM.

While I must admit more people wanted him gone rather than stay on air, his true fans (which I am one of them) will be very happy.

I believe his job was never in doubt despite when The Daily Telegraph and TV news stations claimed through un-named sources that he was skating on thin ice.

It's been confirmed Kyle wont return on air until October 7th and wont be paid during this time, reportedly losing up to $150,000 in pay which will be given to charity says 2Day FM.

It's rumoured Kyle's good friend and singer Brian McFadden will join Jackie O until Kyle returns.

In other news, MIX 106.5 FM stars Sonia Kruger and Todd McKenny have been axed from their breakfast radio job after another big ratings loss on Tuesday.

While this pair may get along really well on Dancing With The Stars, their chemistry didn't really translate on air and the show never really took off.

I'm sure no one will care too much about this one!

Newsreaders' apologise to Kyle & Jackie O

by Nathan Taylor

YAY! Thank God there is something decent to listen to on the radio again.

Kyle and Jackie O returned this morning after their show took a recent break. I even woke up at 6am to listen to the show from start to finish, and I don't wake up that early unless I need to catch a flight.

They were back to their best and you couldn't even tell there was a 7-second delay. They first had their chance to explain and apologise again for the recent controversy, but then they settled back in to what they do best.

They laughed off the media about (the media) not getting their facts right on stories. Remember the old saying...'never let the truth get in the way of a good story'. Well Kyle & Jackie O even got the chance to mock themselves. They even said "Welcome back to the Vyle and Tacky Ho Show' (a headline widely used to describe the pair recently).

Yes, they admit they were affected by all the negative attention. But heck they are only human and you learn from your mistakes.

Something I did find interesting was newsreaders were actually calling Kyle to apologise for the stories that their (newsreaders) network put to air. As some of the newsreaders are friends with Kyle personally.

All I can say is that they are back and are still number 1! And to the haters out there NO ONE is forcing you to listen. Radio is a free service and there are plenty of other options out there to suit you.

But I know where I'll be listening.

Steady start for Australian Idol

by Nathan Taylor

Last night the Australian public tuned into the seventh series of Australian Idol, but not all of us knew it was on.

Only 1.3 million viewers switched on to see the first stage of auditions and witnessed the brief return of Kyle Sandilands.

Critics have been saying today that people have deliberately missed the auditions because Kyle appears in them and with the recent controversy surrounding him families have decided to wait until he's gone for good before they start watching.

'The slide appears a protest vote against Sandilands, who was last week dumped by Channel 10 in the wake of The Kyle and Jackie O Show radio rape scandal'. (Daily Telegraph)

And that's fine if your going down that path, but last night Kyle provided some great moments, especially when he and good mate and guest judge Brian McFadden were taking the piss out of contestants. I reckon Kyle lightens up the judging panel (compared with the rather serious Dicko and Marcia) with his remarks and he always says what us at home are thinking.

It's a shame the producers of Idol are so weak and had to bow down to the pressure of the media and the public.

In terms of the less than impressive ratings, I'd like to put it down to:

1) The new 6:30pm time slot

2) The lack of promotion, usually we have a countdown in how many days to go

3) We are over auditions and just want to rip straight to the live shows

4) Dancing with the Stars and other programming

Back on air next week!

by Peter Lang

It's been widely reported today that The Kyle and Jackie O Show will be back on air Monday week on 2Day FM.

The pair's sabbatical or suspension or break or whatever you want to call it will soon be over and the terrible twosome will be back to their old tricks in no time. Or will they?

I actually think for a short time at least, Kyle and Jackie O will behave themselves in the hope of getting back into the good books of the Sydney public and media alike. They certainly can't afford another negative media storm like the one they've just been through. I know there's a saying, any publicity is good publicity but not in this case.

Personally, I don't have anything against either of them. They are extremely talented on-air personalities who run a super slick and entertaining breaksfast show however their recent run of constantly highlighting people's misery was getting a bit tacky.

Let's hope they return to what made them enormously popular in the first place.

Oh and one more thing, Austero, never, ever let Geoff 'the newsreader' Field try and run a program on his own.

His attempt at trying to be a co-host last week with Chris Page was an unmitigated disaster. He was simply hopeless. He bumbled, stumbled and fumbled his way through three hours of excruciatingly painful radio.

Stick to reading the news Geoff and the occasional quip and skit with Kyle and Jackie O and leave the rest up to the professionals.

What about Jackie O?

by Peter Lang

While her on-air 2Day FM radio partner in crime Kyle Sandilands continues to be persecuted in the metropolitan media over what's becoming known as the 'failed Lie Detector stunt', his blonde beauty co-host has seemingly escaped most of the criticism.
Reports have Jackie O at her million dollar hobby farm in the Kangaroo Valley with her husband Lee, while Sandilands continues to cop the brunt of the media circus that surrounds him (literally).
Just why she and the producers of their top rating morning show on 2Day FM continue to escape criticism is beyond me. As far as I'm concerned they are just as culpable as Kyle was in this whole debacle.
Please, don't even get me started on the mother of the 14 year-old child who shouldn't have put her daughter in the situation in the first place....but that's another story.
I'm not suggesting for a second that Sandilands is the victim in this whole convoluted mess. He's unfortunately reaping what he sowed by over the years repeatedly abusing numerous sections (and people) in the media. They were just waiting for their chance to nail him in return and you can't blame them for their retribution. For as the saying goes, 'if you can't can't take it, don't dish it out'.
In saying that he shouldn't be hung out to dry on his own either.
It appears at this stage at least....he is.

Another day, Another Idol judge GONE

by Nathan Taylor

This time American Idol has lost a judge for its next series. Paula Abdul would have to be the most well-known female judge in the Idol franchise, but after months of speculation about her future she has decided not to return to the ninth series of American Idol.

Abdul announced her departure to the world via Twitter saying "With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to Idol …I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from Day 1 become an international phenomenon."

Last season producers brought in a second female judge Kara DioGuardi to the panel to work alongside Paula, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. She only this week resigned on.

In Abdul's case it looks like money and contracts once again is the most likely cause of her exit.

While Abdul was a lot of the time quirky and sometimes looked like she was off her face, alot of fans will miss her standing up and dancing during performances and also her flirtatious disagreements with Simon were always funny to watch.

So Idol in the US wont be the same again and neither will Australian Idol with the recent sacking of Kyle Sandilands. (And NO, Abdul will NOT be joining Australian Idol)

Sandilands axed from Idol

by Peter Lang

It seems that Kyle Sandilands has paid the ultimate price for last week's 'Lie Detector Test' debacle with Network Ten dumping him as the third Australian Idol host for 2009.
The controversial shock jock will still appear in all the audition episodes as they've already been filmed but once the live audience Top 30 shows begin, his place will be taken by as yet undetermined guest judges.
Channel 10 says they made the decision because Idol is seen as very much a family focused show and they didn't want anyone on it, especially a judge, tarnishing that image.
I think this is a total over-reaction by the show's producers who tolerated Sandilands numerous contestant insults and barbs for years because they knew it helped draw ratings points for the show.
Now that Sandilands is on the nose with the mainstream media and getting too much negative attention, he has been unceremoniously dumped.
Unfortunately Sandilands is in this unenviable position because over the years he has p**ed off far too many journalists and media moguls. I hate to say it but I think Sandilands thought he was untouchable and could say whatever he wanted, about whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without consequence.
He has just learned, he can't, no one can!
Meanwhile the Kyle and Jackie O media circus continued today with reports that the top rating twosome were on some self imposed exile rather than an official suspension by Austereo.
Of course the cynical amongst us wonders if this is actually true or just some publicity stunt aimed at drawing more attention to the talented twosome in the hope that once they're back on air their ratings points will double.
If it is a stunt, I just hope it doesn't backfire on them, like it did to the once popular Chasers.
Time will tell I guess.

A win for the media, Kyle & Jac suspended

In a win for the Australian media, Austereo (the owners of 2Day FM) have suspended the Kyle & Jackie O Show indefinitely.

This week the media have savaged Kyle and Jackie O for their lie detector SEGMENT (not stunt as other media outlets have reported) that went wrong.

In a statement this evening, Austereo publicity manager Kate Whitby said: "Kyle Sandilands' management has advised Austereo that he is unable to perform his duties on-air at this time.

"Further, following a great deal of consideration and having consulted Jackie O and all stakeholders, Austereo has formed the view that it is in the interest of all parties, for the Kyle and Jackie O Show to go into recess until we have completed an across-the-networks review of the principals (sic) and protocols of our interaction with our audience. This review commenced last Wednesday, July 29."

I think this is an absolute joke and something that been taken way too far, Kyle and Jackie O have copped all the backlash from this disaster, whilst the mother of the young girl involved hasn't felt as much criticism as she should deserve.

Tall poppy syndrome rears its ugly head again, lets hope they make a comeback very soon.

Hmmm memories of the Matthew Johns sex scandal brings back alot of memories at the moment with the media also winning his suspension as well.

More on this story can be found here...

Would appreciate comments if you wish to speak your mind about this one.